Keil was hired at Holiday House as a case manager after he graduated from college in 1975 and after serving as an intern. Since then, his life has been connected to Holiday House and its mission to help area individuals with disabilities.

In 1980, Keil met his wife Deb when she came to work for Holiday House, and they married in 1989 and later had a family.

“It’s been one of those jobs I think you hear people talking about if you have the right job, you never have to work a day in your life,” Keil said. “It is more than a job — it’s been a career that has been rewarding for me and it’s provided me with the opportunity to meet with and become close with many, many great people.”

From everything he has accomplished with Holiday House, Keil said he is most proud of the development of the day service programs that include community outings, volunteer opportunities and life skills training for Holiday House members.

“It is something that I’m very proud of and I think it has opened up opportunities for people that they didn’t have before and it provides a lifestyle for people that is really suited to their needs and interests,” Keil said.

In celebration of his work at Holiday House, Keil will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Rehabilitation For Wisconsin during their annual conference, which takes place May 3-5.

Keil will remain in his position until May 31, when he will hand the reigns over to Deanna Genske.

Genske also came to Holiday House as an intern and transitioned to case manager and then to director of social services before she left for a different position. She recently returned to Holiday House in March to begin her training as the next executive director.

“I always viewed Tom as my mentor all these years, so it’s bittersweet,” Genske said. “It’s exciting to be in that role and to have been selected to be in that role, but it’s also bittersweet to see it come to an end as working with him.”

Keil said he had the utmost respect and confidence for Genske and believes she will do a wonderful job in carrying the traditions at Holiday House.

Sarah Reinertson, an administrative assistant at Holiday House, said she will also miss working with Keil.

“It’s been great to work with Tom,” Reinertson said. “He is very fair — he’s a fair-minded person. He gives you the opportunity to explore different things … and learn and grow within the atmosphere of the Holiday House.”

The biggest transition will be for Keil’s wife. Deb serves as director of social services at Holiday House, and said she will miss working with her husband.

“Work has always been a part of our relationship. … I, too, think of him as a mentor,” she said. “He is very compassionate and very kind and treated the members the same way he would treat anybody else. I feel like I’ve learned a great deal by watching that.”

She said it will be hard to get used to driving to work by herself, but she believes there is no one more deserving of a great retirement than her husband.

Alisa M. Schafer: 920-686-2105 or aschafer@gannett.com

Tom Keil

Age: 66 in May

Hometown: Manitowoc

Years at Holiday House: 42

Retirement date: May 31

Family: Lives with wife, Deb

Hobbies: Activities that take him outside.

Words to live by: “Just having that perspective of being respectful of others and trying to see the good in other people is a quality that we should all strive for.”